10 Foods To Avoid With Braces

Braces are an effective way to gently straighten out teeth and fix bite alignment, but one of the downsides of traditional braces is that you have to be careful with what you eat. Certain foods have the potential of damaging your wires and brackets, which can result in slower dental treatment. While you may have to skip out on your favorite foods for a while, doing so will allow you to better straighten your teeth and get your braces off as soon as possible.

So learn from the orthodontic experts here at Embrace Orthodontics and find out the top 10 foods you should avoid to best maintain your braces:

1: Ice

While more of a compliment to your drink than an actual food, ice is actually one of the most common reasons why patients break their brackets. You can have ice in your drink, but make sure you don’t chew on ice cubes while wearing braces.

2: Chewy candy

Caramel, taffy, and similar chewy candy tends to get stuck between your wires. Not only does this make it harder to clean your teeth, but it leads to a higher risk of gum disease and tooth decay, which can disrupt your braces treatment.

3: Hard candy

Jawbreakers, lollipops, and other hard candy are devastating on brackets and wires. Avoid hard candy as much as possible, and if you do find yourself eating them suck on hard candy until it is soft before even trying to chew on them.

4: Other sticky foods

This can include gum, fruit snacks, peanut butter, and other foods that tend to get stuck in your teeth. Sticky foods tend to cling to brackets, and if you aren’t careful can rip them apart if you eat too much sticky and gummy foods while wearing braces.

5: Popcorn

Popcorn is a perfect snack for movies, but you may have to abstain from popcorn for a while if you don’t want to damage your braces. The husks are particularly bad, and once they get stuck between your teeth and braces they can be irritating and even lead to gum infection.

6: Corn

Similarly, regular corn isn’t much better, especially when it is on the cob. If you do want to enjoy corn, make sure you cut it off the cob or buy it in small pieces. Cooking corn without popping it can also make it less likely to damage your brackets and wires.

7: Large apples

Apples are a healthy snack, but if you just bite into one you run the risk of damaging your wires and brackets. Cut apples into small, easy to consume pieces in order to stay healthy while protecting your braces.

8: Crunchy and chewy foods

There is a long list of chewy and crunchy foods that fall into this category, ranging from chips and tacos to jerky and even thick bread. As a general rule, the harder you have to chew in order to eat a food, the more likely it is to damage your braces.

9: Nuts

Nuts fit into the above category of crunchy foods, but they cause so many brackets to break we felt they deserved their own special mention. When wearing braces, avoid pistachios, almonds, peanuts, and other hard nuts as much as possible. 

10: Tobacco

While it isn’t strictly a food, tobacco and similar carcinogens deserve a mention because of the impact they have on your oral health. If you want to protect your teeth and braces, you should avoid tobacco, vaping, and other smoking activities as much as possible.

Get braces from Embrace Orthodontics

Whether you’re looking for braces for your child or yourself, patients near Delmar, New York should consider getting treatment here at Embrace Orthodontics. Alongside traditional braces, we’re also a provider of clear aligners, which can straighten your teeth but can be removed so you can eat all of your favorite foods. For those with traditional braces, we’ll do our best to monitor your progress and make corrections so you can complete treatment as fast as possible.

Contact us today if you have any questions, and we look forward to seeing you here at Embrace Orthodontics for braces in Albany County.